Bold Strokes
by VirgilVirgilVirgil
Summary: On his way to return to the Chiss, Thrawn decides to stop on a mysterious little moon that piques his interest. Next to nothing is known about the moon's inhabitants. So where does he start? A museum, of course. This is a prequel to my story Secrets. I suggest reading this story after that one, however it can be read as a stand-alone story as well.
1. Chapter 1

"You're here late…" The droid remarked as it swept the marbled floor around her feet. It was a simple cleaning droid, dome shaped and about knee height, with a friendly blinking red light where one would expect a face.

"Yes, well not by choice, really." Nev frowned. She'd much rather be home this time of the evening. It was already dark out and she had other obligations she'd much rather be taking care of.

"Oh?"

"I received a last minute message a couple of hours ago… some off-worlder is swinging by. He asked me to stay open late to accommodate." She rolled her eyes. "He was so polite I felt bad saying no."

"That's kind of you. We don't see off-worlders often."

"Partially why I agreed to it. Tourism is good for Nivo, whether or not Nivitians are ready to acknowledge it. So I'll make the sacrifice and stay open late for one evening. With any luck he'll leave a donation for the museum."

"Hmm…" She couldn't quite tell if the droid vocalized the noise or if the sweeping gears made the noise as it scurried off to finish its duties.

At the far end of the long hallway, she heard the entrance push open. She'd left it unlocked so the visitor could see themselves in.

Inhaling deeply, she turned to greet the visitor.

She was caught off guard for a moment, unsure if it was the correct person. She'd been operating this museum for nearly seven years now, and in that time had seen a total of three tourists. One, a man with yellow hair and light blue eyes. The second a woman with light brown hair and green eyes. The third had been an old woman with beautiful dark skin and black hair. All three had stood out quite prominently on the planet – Nivitians, she'd learned, were a very homogenous population for humans. Everyone here had pale skin and grey eyes and black hair.

This new tourist was quite obviously not a local as well, though far more so than any of the others. His skin was blue, a striking shade that reminded her of the color found in the glaciers of the oceanic areas of Nivo. His hair was dark, much like hers, but caught in the light had a hint of blue as well. His eyes – they were bright red, appearing to almost glow in contrast with his blue skin.

"Oh… Hello. You must be the visitor that contacted me earlier?" She walked to him and held out a hand, "I'm Nev Sebai, the curator here."

He shook her hand, his shoulders pinched back proudly, "Yes, it is good to meet you Miss Sebai. My name is Thrawn. I appreciate your willingness to accommodate my schedule."

 _Schedule? Is this guy doing that's so important he thinks it's okay to keep me open this late?_ "Right, well let's get started. I assume you are unfamiliar with Nivitian art?" She started down the hallway, toward the room intended as the start point for viewing the museum's collection.

He strode after her quickly, catching up to her side easily. "Yes, entirely so. I attempted to do some research on my own, but there's a shocking lack of information available. The people here are quite private?"

He didn't seem even remotely offended by her lack of courtesy so far. It was slightly irritating.

"You could say that. We're a self-sufficient society. Most Nivitians see no need to open our borders."

"Admittedly, it was a little difficult for me to make my way onto this planet. Your border controls are very tight here."

"I've always seen it more as a preference toward our own people and practices rather than an aversion to others. There are good things and bad things about such a philosophy."

"It seems to have worked well for you. From the little I've seen since I arrived you have a very well mannered, clean society."

"Thank you." She turned into the first room, filled with the oldest pieces in the collection. "It is a little interesting to hear an outsider's impression. How long have you been here?"

"I only arrived about an hour ago, so my observations are from my short walk to your establishment."

"Well… I'll be interested to hear more." She motioned to the first art piece, "We'll start here. You'll find the collection is organized chronologically, with each room spanning a major time period. We start here with the most ancient pieces in our collection, from 600-800 years ago."

He was already examining a few of the abstracted, age-worn sculptures. He asked her a great deal of questions as they moved from one room to the next. The tour grew unexpectedly long – he had far more questions than she was expecting.

It took an hour for them to make it through the entirety of the first floor, and there were still two more to go. As they moved up the old wooden staircase to the second floor, she finally asked, "So, I am dreadfully curious – what brought you to Nivo? And why am I the first stop on your stay?"

"I have a short break from my obligations and am rather fond of planets with this sort of climate. When I saw how little was known of this planet, despite the fact that it is largely inhabited, I thought it may be interesting to visit. Personally, I've always had an interest in art. I think it speaks volumes to the history and psychology of a society…"

"Mmm… I see. So you're attempting to understand our people by analyzing the work of a few individuals who died a couple hundred years ago?"

He smiled, in a nearly condescending manner, "Hardly. But it does lend insights to historical imperatives, which do have an impact on modern attitudes."

"If you're going to judge us as a society, at least wait until we reach the modern section on the third floor."

"I honestly think the fact that I wasn't able to find _any_ reference materials on the art of your society says more about who you are as a people than anything you've shown me yet."

"Not much makes it out of our borders."

"That may be the case, but for me to spend hours searching only to come up with a few poems and some architectural photographs… That's quite remarkable."

They moved into the first room of the second floor. The closer they got to the more modern pieces, the more questions he had.

"So, Thrawn… What do you do, professionally?" He was examining a calendar print from roughly 100 years prior when she asked.

"I work in defense."

"Ah… I should have guessed that from the way you carry yourself."

"Is that so?"

"Mm, I would have guessed either that or nobility of some sort."

"I find that assumption interesting."

"You have the posture of someone who always has to make a good impression, and the speaking mannerisms of someone who is listened to a little too closely."

He was looking curiously at a worn sculpture of a female figure.

"You're quite odd for a military official." She turned away from him, heading for the next room. "Let's move on."

"How long have you been caring for this museum?" He asked, following after her. He seemed entirely unfazed by her rudeness.

"About seven years."

His eyes narrowed at her answer, "Seven years? If I recall, this museum has only existed for seven years. You were one of the first employees, I take it?"

"I suppose you could say that." She smiled. "This is my collection."

"Oh?" He seemed surprised at the answer, "You seem young to have such a large art collection."

"My parents were collectors; I inherited most of the collection from them. It seemed a pity to me that all these things should sit in some back room collecting dust. There's a shocking lack of museums in this city... It seemed like a natural decision."

"It's an impressive collection."

"Thank you. I'm glad to share it. It has become a naturally growing life form, in an odd way. About half this collection was my parent's, and I've added another quarter of the collection on my own. And that last quarter has come from donations. It's a little remarkable, people visit and see what we're doing here, and they want to be a part of it. We've gotten so many donations of pieces passed down through a family for centuries. It's good, I think. It helps unify us."

"You're concerned with documenting the art of your people?"

"I'm actually far more concerned with the work of modern artists than old ones, if I can be blunt."

"Why is that?"

She clicked her teeth, sighing, "The old pieces tell you who we were, what we built our foundation on. New artists… they tell you where we want to be." She smiled at him, "But on that note, let's move to the third floor."

She turned into the first room at the top of the stairs. "Everything on this floor is from the past 50 years. In this room…" She came to a stop when she realized he wasn't following her.

She went back to the main hall and saw he'd made his way to the very end, where a large, colorful abstract piece hung. She went to his side.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at it curiously. "This is beautiful."

"Ah… thank you. I tend to agree. Personally, it's my favorite piece in the collection."

"Is it a person?"

"Yes… It was an attempt to capture the organic movement of a figure with geometric shapes."

"It must be fairly recent."

"It was completed about three years ago." She crossed her arms, "You have a pretty keen eye when it comes to analyzing these things. What does this one say to you about our society?"

He tilted his head a little, "I don't think I could tell you much about a society from one piece. That would be an unfair analysis. But I could probably draw more accurate conclusions about the artist."

"Oh?" She smiled at him, "That might be even more interesting."

"There's a definite appreciation for aesthetics, and for form. Rendering a figure with that level of accuracy while maintaining such a unique stylistic approach tells me they're studious, highly focused on honing their skills and understanding their subject. There's energy to the work as well – not just in the colors, but in rendering of the form – a sort of bright, unstoppable, kinetic energy." He paused for a moment. "I usually see abstract works and think that the artist is either out of touch with reality or at the very least refuses to accept reality, but this one is quite different. I think that may be why I like it so much. It's abstracted, certainly, but it is still very much rooted in something real."

"That's an interesting take. I don't think I've heard that before."

"If I were to make a judgment call on the artist, I would say they must be relentless, passionate, pragmatic but not inflexible - and not without a healthy dose of narcissism."

"Narcissism? What part is giving you that impression?"

His red eyes squinted at the piece and he stepped a little closer, examining it with his nose inches from the surface. "I'm actually most confident in that assertion. The artist didn't even bother to sign the piece, and seemly didn't want their name even on the wall next to the piece."

"I believe most would say that indicates the exact opposite of narcissism."

"They would be wrong. I believe that the artist wants people asking whose work it is." He stepped back, "And then, of course, there is the fact that the artist chose to highlight it at the top of a grand staircase in their own museum."

She smirked, "You caught me. You're the first person to figure that out on your own."

"Hm. Tell me, Miss Sebai, how much would it cost me to get this off the wall of your museum and into my own collection?"

She looked at him, still smirking. "Some things cannot be bought."

"Hm." He was still looking at the piece. "That is a pity."

"However…" She wondered if she was out of line making the offer. "My studio is just a few blocks away. If you're really interested, and if you have time, you're welcome to see some of my more recent work."

He bowed his head slightly, "Thank you for offering. I am interested."

She waved a hand at him. "You have turned out to be much better conversation than I was expecting, I'd be happy to show you some of my other work that is for sale. Let me lock up really quickly and we can walk there. I'll meet you at the front door."

She closed everything down as quickly as possible, grabbing her coat from the back office and meeting him near the exit.

It was dark out, and the city streets were illuminated by streetlamps. It was snowing and quite windy looking. She wrapped up tightly and locked the door as they exited.

"Aren't you cold?" He wasn't wearing a jacket, just a black tailored tunic and pants.

He shook his head, "No, I'm very used to the cold. I actually prefer it. It has been some time since I've been to a colder planet like this one. It reminds me a little of my home."

"Oh? Where are you from?" She'd been wondering since she first saw him. Nivo rarely saw human visitors from off planet – to her memory, there had _never_ been a non-human.

"Csilla… it's quite far from here, I doubt you've heard of it."

"I'm afraid I haven't. Unfortunately I haven't been off planet much. Nobody really does here."

"Is that by choice?"

"Mmm... I am quite happy here. I have everything I need. And I keep very busy. I visit a neighboring planet once every few years, but really not much."

They crunched through the snow in silence for a few moments. There were very few others on the streets, mostly small groups of people making their way from one social house to another. Most everyone did a double take when they saw him. She wondered if he noticed, or if he was just used to the looks.

"I have this theory," He broke the silence finally, "that this sort of weather brings out a certain set of traits in any society. Everything I've seen here tells me I'm right. There are a remarkable number of parallels between the way your people behave and the way mine do."

"Oh?" She nodded to the building they were next to, "This is it." She used her passcode to get them through the front entrance and they made their way up the staircase to her studio. "I'm curious now. What sort of parallels do you see?"

"It seems to give people a self-reliant streak. Much like the people here, the people where I am from keep their outside interactions to a minimum."

"It does make you…" She searched for the word. "Tough. This sort of weather - it gives you thick skin. This is it." They made it to the top floor – hers was one of the two doors on the floor. She opened the door to a dark, chilly room, and hurried inside, turning on the light and kicking off her shoes. He stepped in after her.

"Shoes off please," She called to him as she went to the fireplace to get some heat going for them. She had always been a bit in love with her studio – it was located on the top floor of the building, with one entire wall as a giant window facing out over the city, giving her a spectacular view. Unfortunately the windows meant the place tended to get a bit chilly, but she preferred it cold anyway. The lighting in the studio was low – she mostly relied on the natural light from the windows. At nighttime she used lamps and the fireplace, which gave the place a warm, yellow glow.

She had all kinds of art pieces hanging around, some half finished, some not even her own but more there as inspiration. Stacks of canvases were lined up against the walls, and there was a large wooden table in the middle of the room, littered with paint tubes. It occurred to her before that this space must look like utter madness to most outsiders. She ran her hand through her hair, "I'm sorry, I rarely bring clients here, and it's such a mess. This was sort of… last minute. I would have tried to clean a little otherwise…"

He shook his head, "No, no. It's exactly what I expected."

She wasn't sure if she should take that as a compliment or an insult. Turning back to the fireplace, she finished getting the fire started. "The landlord was surprised when I told him I wanted to keep this fireplace. He upgraded the place with more efficient heating, but I still prefer the heat from a fire. It's a different sort of warmth." She stretched in front of the newly made fire, letting the heat sink into her, and then went to the kitchen area and pulled a bottle of wine from one of the cabinets, along with two glasses. "I can't have a guest here without at least offering…" She nodded to him, wondering if he even _could_ drink. He wasn't human. Maybe he had strange biology and couldn't consume alcohol.

"Yes, thank you Miss Sebai."

"Nev, please." She was relieved, pouring the two glasses quickly. "You're welcome to look around. The stacks against the wall are several deep, but they're all dry so you can move them as needed."

He started to look around and she followed him, carting the bottle with her. It was something of a habit.

"How long have you been painting?"

"Since I was a child, really. Professionally? About ten years now."

"Are you well known?"

She smiled when he looked at her, "Yes. One of the most well-known living artists on Nivo at the moment."

"And you've never bothered trying to sell your art off planet?"

"No. Border controls are so tight here; it's not worth the effort. I do well enough without the complication."

"No visitors from off-planet have purchased your art while here?"

She saw where he was going with his questions. "We don't get many visitors; I've only ever had 3 others. My work has never been made available to them. Granted, I've had a few offers on the piece in the museum. But like I said, some things are not for sale."

"And you choose to make your work available to me?"

"Well," She refilled her glass, "You are, by far, the most interesting person to have shown interest yet. I trust that whatever you choose will be in good hands."

"I'm honored. What piece do you think I should own?"

"Mmm… If I were you, I'd purchase several." She sat on the paint covered table, crossing her legs and winking at him.

A smile flickered across his lips. "I suppose you would be the wrong person to ask."

"It's that ego thing you mentioned earlier." She laughed.

"You may have misinterpreted me – I didn't mean that as a negative attribute. Confidence is a good thing, but only if you can follow through with it." He motioned to the paintings, "You are clearly very talented. You _should_ have an ego about your work."

"Do you apply that philosophy to yourself as well?"

"Certainly." He pulled a colorful, energetic looking cityscape from the stack. "This is the view from your studio?"

She nodded, "Yes, I have a fantastic view here, particularly around sunrise. The colors are utterly fantastic. I don't usually paint landscapes, but it struck me as something I needed to document one morning."

She expected him to request the piece, but he didn't. Rather he set it to the side and kept looking. He was either planning on purchasing several, which she had only suggested as a joke, or he was considering all his options.

"You paint a lot of figures."

"I suppose people interest me. Bodies interest me. I like the way they look, the way they move."

"How do you choose your subjects?"

She shrugged, "It's usually people I meet who seem worth painting. A lot of dancers and athletes – like I said, I like the movement."

He pulled a figure painting from the stack – largely purples and reds, one of her favorite pieces.

"It's a singer?"

"Yes, one of my friends."

"They didn't want it for themselves?"

"She looked at me like I'd grown a second head when I asked her if she wanted it."

He added it to his special stack and moved on.

"Can I ask you something personal, Thrawn?"

"I cannot guarantee an answer, but you are welcome to ask whatever you please."

"Well, Thrawn, first you need more wine." She motioned him over and refilled his glass. She wasn't sure he wanted more, but she never really bothered asking her guests. It was more fun to just serve them and watch them deal with it. "What military do you work for?"

He didn't respond right away, seeming to carefully consider his answer over the glass of wine. "The Chiss Defense Fleet."

She hesitated. "I can't say I'm familiar. Is that… your people? The Chiss?"

"Yes." He turned his attention back to the stacks, which she assumed was his way of ending any further conversation on the subject. "What is your most recent work?"

She pointed to the far end of the line, "My most recent ones are on the end."

He went to it and flipped through a few pieces, pausing for a moment on a large one. She craned her neck and saw – it was a female figure, lying, back arched in bliss.

"A bit subversive?"

"Do you think so?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"It is beautiful."

"Mm. Thank you." She smiled into her glass of wine, wondering what it would take to crack this well-mannered official. "It's a self portrait."

"Hm." He looked at the piece for a few moments. She couldn't read his expression.

He quietly moved the piece to his collection.

She laughed, deciding it was best to not comment on his interest in the piece.

There was a long silence while he flipped through more pieces, selecting a few and setting them to the side. "Do you have prices in mind for any of the pieces I'm interested in?"

She ran her finger over the edge of the pieces, sitting on the table next to the stack. "Which ones are you most interested in?"

It was a ploy, really. She was just hoping to get him to step closer to her. It was somewhat stupid, but she was fond of his ego and interest in art, and found him generally intriguing, and he really was rather handsome looking…

It worked, but not in the manner she intended. He stepped right in front of her, looming over her. "I think you're already aware of what I'm most interested in."

More than anything, it was his voice. An even, layered hum, nearly hypnotic sounding. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard. She reached out, tracing up the center of his tunic with her fingers, hooking her fingers into his collar. She wanted to pull him closer, but something made her hesitate. He was so difficult to read. What if she was interpreting all this incorrectly?

"What are you afraid of?"

She slowly started to undo the closure, "My suspicion is that men like you – powerful, commanding, composed -" she grasped his collar and jerked him closer, trapping him between her knees, "prefer to not be in control, sometimes."

The smirk twitching at the edge of his lips confirmed her suspicions.

"You prefer I be bold?"

He nudged his mouth close to hers, but didn't kiss her. "I prefer that you behave in whatever manner pleases you most."

Between the soft hum of his voice and his breath against her lips, she felt a little dizzy and overconfident. "Oh. Then. Bold." She swung her leg around him and flipped him onto the table, pushing him back and crawling on top of him. He ran his hand up her spine to the back of her neck, pulling her face in close to his again. His fingers were cool against the back of her neck.

He held her there, a breath's distance between their lips, while she undid the rest of his tunic. He wore a black undershirt beneath, tucked into the waist of his pants. She fought the front closure of his pants, sliding her hand in and grasping his hard cock.

She had to stop herself from sighing with relief.

He laughed a low, knowing way. "You were afraid I might not have one, weren't you? What would you have done?"

She paused, and then used her spare hand to push his chest flat onto the table, "I don't have one and I do perfectly fine taking care of myself. I wouldn't expect any less of you."

Apparently he liked that answer. 

* * *

She woke early, just before the sun, tangled up in her bed sheets and completely alone. Rolling onto her back, she inhaled deeply and tried to remind herself that yes, in fact, last night did happen.

From the main room, she heard a quiet, muffled noise.

She stood, shedding herself of the bed sheets, and walked to the main room.

He was standing before the door, pulling his black boots on. He paused when he saw her, an eyebrow quirking upward. Possibly because she wasn't wearing anything.

"You're leaving already? The sun isn't even up."

He gave a short nod, "Yes, I must return to my obligations." He made a peculiar humming noise, brushing his fingertips against her bare waist and trailing them up her side to her ribcage. "You are going to make me late…"

His expressions were so subtle and fleeting she felt like she usually missed them, but this one was easy to read. He gently pulled her toward him with his fingertips. He wanted her, again. Not quite enough to kiss her – it was like an odd little power play he seemed to enjoy doing with her. He never quite kissed her; rather he got just barely close enough and stopped. It was actually enjoyable, feeling his breath against her lips, teasing her to come a little closer, to close that small gap. She resisted as long as she could, but always ended up pressing her lips to his. Like now, but this time just gently, rubbing her lips across his.

"I certainly don't want to keep you from your duties," She gently kissed his lower lip. "But did you still want one of my paintings? I can wrap it up for you quickly."

His fingers played up her spine. "Yes. The cityscape, if you're willing to part with it."

She appreciated that the one he wanted was the very same view he saw from her quarters. This man had some kinks. He wanted a reminder of their evening. "Of course. It's yours." She waved a hand as she walked to the stack to find the one he wanted, "Don't worry about payment. It's a gift." She glanced back over her shoulder; he was watching her in such a flattering way. She smirked, "Something to remember me by."


	2. Chapter 2

"Nev… I'm sorry to interrupt…"

Umu was a mousy young woman, still finishing up her schooling. She was a decent artist in Nev's opinion, and a fantastic art historian for her age. Nev was happy to hire her to help out around the museum, particularly for times like these when she needed to dedicate herself to back room work like financing.

She looked up to the girl from her paperwork, grateful for the distraction. "Not a problem, I could use an interruption. What's going on?"

She stepped in quickly, closing the door behind her. She looked… confused? Nervous? It was an odd expression, Nev couldn't quite place it.

"There's a guest here, he's requested to speak with you regarding the large piece of yours…"

She tried not to roll her eyes. She dealt with these requests so frequently she was considering putting a sign up near the painting saying it wasn't for sale.

"He requested you by name, I think he may be familiar with your work, but… well, I suppose it's just unusual considering he's a foreigner."

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes, he's… I don't know how else to say this, he's blue."

Nev cracked a smile and got to her feet. "Thank you Umu. I think I know who it is."

She went to the painting, where the blue-skinned man stood waiting. It'd been some time since their first encounter. She honestly hadn't expected to see him again. He stepped to the side with a slight bow when he saw her. "Miss Sebai, it's lovely to see you again."

"Call me Nev, please. My assistant told me there was a foreigner inquiring about this piece; I was a little surprised when she mentioned he was blue."

"I happened to be in the area with some spare time and thought I might pay your museum visit, at the very least to thank you."

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh? For what?"

He cleared his throat, turning his attention back to the large piece. "For the second piece you snuck in with the cityscape you gifted to me… the portrait. Unfortunately it was not quite suitable to hang in my office, but it has made a nice addition to my private collection."

She couldn't hide her smirk, "I'm glad you're getting some use of it. Like I mentioned, I wanted to give you something to remember me by."

"I hope that I'm not being presumptuous in visiting you again?"

She wanted to laugh at the suggestion. "Where do you keep the second painting?"

"In my personal quarters."

"How often do you look at it?"

He scratched his nose. "As often as I need to." 

* * *

She sat on the edge of her mattress, a blanket wound around her to help keep her bare body warm, watching the snow storm outside. He lay behind her, watching the storm from around her hips, with his hand tucked up under the blanket so he could run his fingers over her bare skin.

"This storm won't let up for a few days."

"I have a few days."

She looked down at him; his expression didn't indicate any reaction. "You have a few days? Were you planning on staying here for a few days?"

"Yes. I'm rather fond of this moon. I wasn't expecting you to host me the entire time."

She turned back to the window, watching the blinding white. The city lights could barely be seen through it. "This storm is very bad."

"I'm quite used to storms like this; my home world regularly has much worse storms."

"I don't quite know if it's safe for you to go outside." She grabbed her wine glass from the floor by her feet and took a quick drink. "You may need to stay with me until it lets up."

His cool fingertips paused momentarily against her skin. "If that is what you want, I would be happy to stay with you. I don't want you to feel obligated."

She ran her fingers into his hair. He kept it so well groomed, but she liked it better this way – messy, and with her fingers in it. "I would like it if you stayed."

His eyes drifted closed a little when she messed with his hair, and he hummed a little. "Very well."

"Will you tell me about your home world?"

His red eyes opened again, glancing up to her.

"I'm just curious." She shrugged. "I don't do a great deal of traveling."

"Mm. It isn't so different from Nivo. It's a planet called Csilla. The climate is very similar to Nivo, maybe a little colder on average, and our storms are worse. The terrain is more glacial, whereas yours seems to be largely mountainous from what I've seen. My people are much like yours, politically and culturally. Physically, the Chiss are a very homogeneous people, much like the humans of this planet."

"Oh? You're all blue? Red eyes as well?"

He pushed the edge of the blanket up her thigh and nodded, pressing his lips against her exposed skin. "Yes. Dark hair, blue skin, red eyes."

She ran her finger over the red mark under his eye. "These as well?"

"Mm. Yes. Though they vary slightly depending on genetics."

"They don't interact much with outsiders as well?"

"Not at all. They have all the capabilities to, and a very strong military, but they prefer to keep to themselves. They have no interest in expanding their control."

"Do you have family there?"

"I used to, but I don't anymore."

She was curious about his response, but it was only their second night together. She decided not to press.

As if to further enforce that he was not interested in discussing his family, he asked her, "I assume you have family here?"

"I do. My mother and father are both involved in politics. I come from a long line of politicians. My mother has been the most prominent representatives in the senate for most of her life – she's considering running for the highest office here in the next election. My father is a judge in the high court. Both my brothers are elected officials as well, one in the senate with my mother and the other works primarily on policies concerning border security."

"And you chose to pursue art?"

"Mm. I'm not terribly close to them; they don't see my work at the museum as terribly… worthy. It seems odd to me that they see little value in preserving the history of our home, and that they see even less value in nurturing young artists and innovators. But, I suppose that is their prerogative. It will hurt them, in the long run."

"I tend to agree. I take it you're not entirely fond of the tight borders of your home?"

"I'm conflicted. On one hand, I love Nivo the way it is. But at the same time… the sharing of ideas is always a good thing, in my opinion. I think a little more interaction with outsiders would serve us well."

"It is difficult to find a good balance."

His eyes were closed again. She ran her fingers through his hair again and laid down next to him. He was cool, just like last time. It must be something different with his biology. She liked it; there was something comforting about burying themselves under a pile of heavy blankets and clinging to his cool body for relief.

She traced his collar bone with her fingers, kissing up his neck to his ear and nibbling at it gently.

This must be a thing for him; he grunted, his fingers tightening around her waist. Surprised by the reaction, she pulled back and looked at him. The muscle under his eye was twitching, his eyes still closed.

"You like that?" She was glad his eyes were closed so he couldn't see her smirk.

His hands moved down, hooking around her tights and pulling her completely onto him, "Why did you stop?" 

* * *

He stayed for three days. There was no reason for them to leave her studio; it was storming outside anyway, and most of the city was closed. They easily kept preoccupied with each other.

They spent a great deal of time talking about art and he spent some time watching her work. He told her more about his home and his people. He told her that Thrawn wasn't his full name, but something akin to a first name; his full name is Mitth'raw'nuruodo. He smiled at her when she repeated it and politely asked her to just call him Thrawn. Apparently his native language, including names, was near impossible for humans to properly pronounce.

When the storm finally let up, he said he had to return. She insisted on walking with him back to his ship. It was being kept in the only hangar in the city, which was intended for use by city-to-city travelers. The man at the front desk wasn't happy with Thrawn's presence – if she didn't know any better, she'd have thought Thrawn didn't even notice the man's rude reaction. But he must have noticed, he just didn't react.

His ship was small, intended for a single traveler to comfortably fit in. It was impeccably clean and well kept. He pulled her inside so they could say their goodbyes in privacy.

He did that thing again, hovering just a little away from her lips but not quite touching her.

"Thank you for being a generous host, once more."

And once more, she closed that small distance. He reacted the same way every time – a quick inhale, almost like he was surprised, before he relaxed, melting closer to her.

"I hope that I am not being presumptuous by telling you that you're welcome to come see me anytime." She paused, and kissed him again. "I think I would like it very much if you did."

He hummed lightly. "I will come visit you again, though I can't be sure when."

She stroked his cheekbone. Why did she feel sad about him leaving? This was only their second time meeting. 

* * *

A few months later, he turned up at her museum again. It was evening, just before close; he wandered the museum while she shut everything down, and they took to the streets to return to her studio.

Along the way, he asked a question that struck her as utterly bazaar: "This isn't… problematic for you, is it?"

She looked at him, trying to figure out what he meant.

He motioned to a few of the people walking the streets. "I mean, being seen with me."

It wasn't something she had really even considered. There weren't many people out and about at the moment; it was well into the evening and the few people who were out were just nightlife seekers. "I hadn't really thought about it, to be honest." She paused. "I don't see it as an issue. There are those on Nivo who would take issue with me being seen with a foreigner," _my family being chief among them_ , "but I pay no mind to those people. Their opinions don't really matter anyway."

He nodded, but didn't respond.

From across the street, there was a sharp whistle. "Nev!"

She paused in her tracks. It was Rua, a close friend of hers. She was standing outside a bar, their regular bar, with a cigarette pinched between her fingers. She waved, "Nev! Come over! Let's have a drink! Oyd and Zed are here!"

She looked back at Thrawn, smiling a little, "Would you like to meet my friends?" She paused. "They are… a little off-color from what you will usually find on this planet. I think they will like you."

He nodded, "Yes."

They crossed the street; she caught Rua's eyebrows raise when Thrawn came into view.

"Are you singing tonight?" She hugged her friend. "Rua, this is my friend, Thrawn."

Rua was absolutely awful at hiding her expressions. "Oh… your _friend?"_ She stuck the cigarette between her lips and shook his hand, "It's good to meet you. I'm Rua." She nodded at Nev, "Yeah, I'm performing tonight. Would you two care to watch?"

"That sounds like an enjoyable finish to the evening. I would be interested in watching your performance." Thrawn said.

She smiled, clearly slightly confused and flattered by his well-mannered disposition. "Right on. Follow me."

She led them down a dimly lit set of stairs to a smoke-filled, underground bar. Over time, this location had become something of a haven for artists and intellectuals in the evenings. There was always music, and smoking, and far-reaching conversations. These were the rejects of Nivo, the people who lived on the fringe of their society. Her people, truly.

Rua lead them to their usual corner table, where Oyd and Zed, two brothers they were close friends with, were already seated. Oyd was the older of the two, with a more lanky build and somewhat sad looking eyes. She had reasoned, over the past year or so, that his eyes always looked sad because he was privately pining over Rua, who seemed entirely oblivious to his affection. Zed was more broadly built, and wore a constant smirk, like he thought most everything was a joke. They both looked about as surprised as Rua when Thrawn sat at their table with Nev.

"Oyd, Zed, it's good to see you both. This is my friend, Thrawn."

Zed looked amused. He always looked amused.

Oyd took a long draw on his cigarette and reached across the table to shake Thrawn's hand, "It's good to meet you."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

Zed shook his hand, "I take it you're from off-planet?"

"Yes, I'm here for a brief visit."

"Thrawn happens to have an interest in art, he came to visit my museum and found he's rather fond of Nivo." Nev paused.

"Oh? You're an art guy? I wouldn't have pinned you as the type. You strike me as a more… structured type." Zed said.

"I do work in defense, however I've always had a side interest in art."

"Oh. You're military?" Rua asked. "I should have guessed that from your posture."

Nev waved over a waiter and ordered them both drinks.

"If you don't mind me asking, _what_ exactly are you?" Rua asked, her eyes narrowed as she leaned on the table, looking him over closely.

"Rua…" Oyd rubbed his face, embarrassed by her question.

"I am a Chiss. Based on what I've seen of this planet's population and border customs, I am willing to bet you very rarely see non-humans around here. Further, my kind is extremely rare outside of my home world. I don't think that was an unreasonable question."

Rua nodded, "A Chiss. Interesting."

"Three years ago," Oyd tapped the table, "I remember this foreigner visiting. I saw him on the streets. He was human, at least I think he was, but he had this sort of… yellowish, light colored hair. You'd notice him from a block away." He nodded shortly. "If he stuck out, you're like a…"

"A very tall, blue beacon." Rua finished with a laugh. "You're a little different looking from the people around here." She leaned forward further, across the table, "I've only seen a few foreigners in my life, and you're by far the most unique looking one. No offense."

He welcomed the drink from the waiter, nodding at Rua. "I can assure you, you look just as strange to me."

Her face cracked a smile and she sunk back to her seat. "I like this guy."

"You don't spend much time around humans?" Oyd asked.

"On the contrary, I've spent a great deal of time around humans. I have gotten more used to your appearance over the past few years, but there are still aspects I can't quite get used to."

"Like what?" The three were intrigued.

"Primarily, your eyes. Your pupils are quite prominent, there's something very odd about always being able to tell where everyone is looking."

When Nev first saw him, she'd almost thought he didn't have pupils. They were black, just like a human's, but were difficult to see at times, particularly when the lighting was just right.

"Huh. I can see where that would be really odd to you."

"So you like Nivo?" Zed asked.

"I do, it reminds me very much of my home planet."

They talked for some time, before Rua left to take the stage.

Thrawn turned to her quietly, "Is she the one you have the painting of in your studio?"

She nodded, "Yes, Rua and I have been friends since childhood. I painted that piece nearly three years ago and it still hasn't found a home." She smirked a little, nodding to Oyd. "Lately I've been thinking I should give it to Oyd."

He was watching Rua perform, a dreamy look on his face. Next to him, Zed was laughing. He jabbed his brother's side, jerking his attention back to the table.

"You ought to just ask the poor woman out, Oyd."

Oyd frowned at his brother. "I can't do that, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't want to risk losing her friendship. That's sweet and all, but she's going to figure it out eventually. I know you." He waved a finger, "This one is different. It's not going to go away."

"If that's the case, better sooner than later." Nev said.

"Right. I say just get it over with." He motioned to Thrawn. "What do you think?"

Thrawn paused, but not in a way that made her think he was hesitating. It was more like he was taking a moment to very seriously assess the situation. "I'm afraid I don't know enough about the matter to be able to make an informed suggestion."

"They've been friends for seven years, right?" Zed motioned to the table, like he was trying to map their entire relationship. "Just friends, for all that time. And just in the past year, my brother here seems to have developed this big bad thing for her… watch his face when she comes around." He laughed, "The man is _completely_ crazy for her, I've never seen him like this before."

Oyd was clearly less than happy with his brother's story.

Thrawn quirked his head to the side. "What changed?"

"Hm?"

"You've known her for seven years but only recently found yourself interested in her in another manner?"

Oyd hesitated. "I lost someone very important to me."

Nev had been present for the entire tragedy. Oyd and Zed had a younger sister - she'd gotten terribly ill and passed away over a year ago. It had been devastating to both of them, but particularly to Oyd who had been very close to her. His attraction to Rua hadn't been sudden by any means. Nev had seen it develop slowly, over the course of nearly half a year, when she and Rua spent a great deal of time helping he and Zed rebuild after the loss.

"Hm. That does make one's perspective change."

"So? What's your verdict?" Zed pressed.

"I think that if she helped you heal from that loss in some fashion, you owe her a very deep level of respect. How you choose to show that is entirely up to you; I don't know that it is something any outsider can properly assess."

Oyd looked at him for a long moment. "Thank you."

Zed threw his hands up, "You're not helping me out here, Thrawn." 

* * *

She'd spent nights thinking about his hands, about the way his cool fingers felt running down her sides, over her hips, gripping her thighs. She'd missed his hands. And his mouth, the way he always kept it just far enough away to make her feel desperate. And his voice, soft and humming, soothing to listen to.

Everything, really. She'd missed everything. She was happy he chose to return sooner rather than later.

She gasped against his lips when he pushed into her, her back arching. This time was different. She'd always been the one in control, playing a more domineering role in their sessions. But this time he took control, pinning her down onto the mattress and wrapping her legs around his waist, holding her face so she was looking up at him. Their breathing was in sync, like they were sharing breaths. It was a welcome change; something so terribly close and intimate and a little romantic.

"How long do I get you this time?" She whispered against his lips.

"How long do you want me here?" His eyes were locked on her, watching every little reaction she gave with an almost studious sense of curiosity.

"Don't ask me that now, I'll say something stupid."

"What," his voice faltered a little and he hummed, "What do you think a stupid answer would be?"

She hesitated, not wanting to think about it. She wanted to focus on this. She wanted to focus on remembering every detail. She didn't get him often. She had to make it last when she could.

"That I spend ev… every night thinking about this when you're gone, and I want this as much as I can have it…"

He was hunched over her, his whole body shuttering aganst hers, with his mouth next to her ear. He muttered something she assumed was either nonsense or his native language. She wondered what he meant to say, but never found out. 

* * *

He visited every couple of months, sometimes just for a night, sometimes for as much as a week.

On his fourth visit, she gave him the passcode to her studio.

On his seventh, he left a few spare changes of clothing in her studio.

Before his eighth visit, her brother made a snide comment about how she'd been seen around town frequently with a strange blue man.

On the second evening of his eighth stay, her parents came to visit her at the museum, just before close. She hadn't spoken with them in months. She saw Thrawn more frequently than she saw them.

"Nev, dear, your mother and I were hoping to speak with you."

"It has been some time," her mother added. "Too long. How have you been?"

"I'm good, very good." It was completely true. She never lied to them. They had never been shy of hiding their disappointment in her choices, so she made no effort to cover them up.

"Everything has been going well here?" Her father asked.

"Yes. We're starting an in-residence program soon with some newly acquired funding. I'm looking forward to it. I expect good things."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that."

There was an awkward but expected pause.

"Your mother and I have been… concerned about you lately."

"Lately?" She didn't mean to sound as dry as she did.

"Well yes… lately. It's been brought to our attention that…"

"Ah, you've heard the rumors as well. I've been spotted with a foreigner."

"Well… yes. Your mother and I do hope that you realize…"

"That I'm sullying your family name?"

"That how _you_ choose to present yourself to the public has an effect on us all." Her mother said shortly.

"Yes, you've drilled that into my head for ages now."

"Nev, you've been spotted flitting around town with some blue…"

It was as if he knew someone was talking about him: The front door to the museum opened with a gust of cold air, and Thrawn stepped into the museum.

Both her parents did a double take; it was like they almost didn't believe the rumors were true. Nev couldn't have been more pleased with his timing. She waved him over, "Thrawn, will you come here please? I would like to introduce you to my parents."

He didn't hesitate, striding over to her side.

"Mother, father, this is Thrawn. Thrawn, my parents, Representative Jas Sebai and Judge Lon Sebai."

She'd always appreciated his reserved, well mannered nature, but in the current situation she thought it was maybe the best thing in the universe.

He held his hand out politely, first to her mother, "Representative, it's an honor to meet you."

Her mother looked like she'd forgotten what to do for a moment. She shook his hand quickly, looking even more surprised when he bowed his head to her.

And then to her father: "Judge, it is an honor to meet you as well." They shook hands shortly. "Nev mentioned that a good portion of the items in this museum come from your personal collection. I always enjoy meeting others who have an appreciation for art."

"Yes… well… Nev has gone above and beyond with it…" Her mother said.

"As she should, preserving these items is a means to preserving culture. There is great value in that."

"Are you an artist yourself… _Thrawn_?" Her father hesitated at his name. It was an odd name, compared the simplistic style of Nivitian names.

"Not at all, I am just an enthusiast. I work in defense, actually."

Another awkward silence.

"Well," her mother said, "It is late, I'm afraid your father and I must be off." She nodded to Nev, "Please reach out to us when you're ready to talk."

Nev didn't move, watching them exit her museum.

"They're concerned about you?" Thrawn asked.

Nev shook her head, "They are. They have no reason to be, but they are." She looked up at him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being yourself." She threw her jacket over her shoulders and started shutting down the lights. "You act like you don't notice their reactions."

"Reacting serves no beneficial purpose, I've found."

She paused as she passed by him, popping up on her toes and kissing him. "You are a good man."

"To be fair, my reaction was likely quite similar the first time I saw a human."

"Hm." She ran her fingers through the hair tucked behind his ear. "I suppose we are all more similar than we like to think."

"Your parents disapprove, I take it?"

"Of you?" She went to finish closing up. "It's quite irrelevant to me, but yes, they're not fond of me being seen with a foreigner. But to be fair, they would find something to disapprove of even if you were Nivitian." He joined her side as they walked out into the cold evening air, locking the door behind. "Their approval means next to nothing to me. I'm a bit fond of you… that is the only thing that matters."

"A bit?"

"Mm. I am. I'm curious, what do you think your family would think of me?"

"Hm. My brother would likely have a reaction similar to your parents."

"You have a brother?"

She swore he hesitated for the slightest moment. "I do."

"I didn't know that. You never really talk about your family. Older or younger?"

"Older."

"Is he back on your homeworld?"

"No."

She didn't press further; something about his hesitation told her he didn't want to speak about it.

Later that night he told her about his brother going missing over a decade prior, how he'd spent years in denial thinking his brother may still be alive somewhere out there. It was over a decade later, on the anniversary of his brother disappearing from contact, that it finally sunk in: His brother was gone, forever.

She told him she was sorry he had to suffer through the realization his loss alone.

"I didn't." He said. "That was when I met you."


	3. Chapter 3

Nev nearly fell over when she walked through her studio door to find him, standing against her counter with two glasses of wine.

He bowed his head toward her, "Nev."

It'd been three months - longest she'd ever gone without seeing him since they met. She'd never gotten any contact information for him; that just wasn't how the relationship worked. Passionate, uncomplicated, no obligations, but an unspoken understanding that they had a steadfast partner available whenever they needed. They had been entirely out of touch.

Her mouth hung open. "Th… Thrawn."

He sensed her hesitation, standing straight. "I hope I'm not… intruding?"

Her head spun. She had a lot to catch him up on. A little notice, a little time to prepare, might have been nice. But that wasn't the nature of their relationship. "No, no, of course you're welcome. If you weren't I would have changed the passcode." She staggered around him, leaning on the counter. "It's good to see you."

"I'm happy I was finally able to break away long enough to visit. It has been too long."

She nodded slowly, "It has. I've… I've missed you. Very much."

He slid the glass toward her, but she shook her head, "No, no, thank you."

His eyes narrowed. "Are you okay? You're behaving very strangely."

She inhaled deeply, "Yes. Yes, I'm okay, I'm just very surprised to see you and… things have changed while you were gone."

"Oh?" He glanced to the door, "You're certain I'm not intruding?"

He was afraid she'd found someone else while he was gone for such a long time. It was a foolish thought on his behalf. She was far too attached to him for such a thing.

"Yes, please, don't… just…" She let out a harsh puff of air, "I wasn't expecting you. And… something's happened."

"You look dazed, would you like to sit down?" He pulled a stool to her and she sunk into in gratefully. He got her a glass of water. "Something is wrong. What is it?"

She tried to drink the glass of water as slowly as possible, so she had time to consider her approach.

"How do you feel about… children?"

His expression didn't change. His face didn't change. He didn't even blink.

"Thrawn?"

"What?"

"Children? Your opinion?"

"You're…"

She sniffed a little. "Yes."

Another long, expressionless silence.

"You're certain it's mine?"

She huffed a laugh that sounded more panicked than she intended it. " _What_? Am I certain it's…" Her mind was already starting to spiral out of her control. This seemed to be happening more and more often lately. "What do you even mean by that?! Of course I'm certain it's yours! It has occurred to me over the past few months that we've never really stated this is an exclusive sort of relationship and you may very well be flitting across the galaxy with other women but…"

He put his hands up to stop her. She wasn't fond of the gesture; she wanted to swat his hands away.

"BUT," She continued loudly, feeling tears start to roll down her cheeks, "But I have never been anything other than entirely dedicated to you, which might have been stupid on my behalf…"

"Nev." He looked very worried. He'd never seen her cry before. "Please stop. I don't… I barely have time to come see you, I don't know when I'd even fit others into my schedule."

She wiped viciously at her cheeks, "I'm sorry."

He looked at her for a long moment. "When did you find out?"

"Weeks ago. I would have let you know, but…"

"But I've never given you a means to contact me." He paused. "I will need to reassess that."

"… Yes, you might want to."

"Does anyone know?"

She shook her head, "No, nobody yet."

He nodded slowly. "Good. Nobody should know."

"Thrawn, I can't exactly hide this… I'm starting to show."

"Nobody should know the child is related to me. That knowledge being public would pose a great risk to both you and the child. That can't be allowed to happen."

"Thrawn…"

He started pacing the counter. "I suppose we rarely discuss the nature of my employment. I have never made it clear to you that I do hold a position of somewhat considerable influence. I happen to be one of the highest ranking commanders of the Chiss Defense Fleet, and prior to that held a similar position within the Galactic Empire. I do hope you understand, there are a good deal of people who would do anything to get to me, even if it means hurting you or the child. It is unfortunate, but sacrifices will have to be made to keep you both secure…"

Well, that was news. The Empire… Nivo never had to suffer their presence, but their corruption was notorious enough to even be known on Nivo. Very odd, from what she heard their government was facing a considerable rebellion. And he… was with them once? And is now with the Chiss? Had he defected?

Her head spun again and she grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop pacing. It wasn't making her feel any better. "Thrawn. Thank you for just _finally_ letting me know that, but we have a somewhat immediate issue we should consider. Given the nature of Nivo... What if it's blue?"

Another painful silence.

"I don't know."

That was the last thing she wanted to hear him say.

He shook his head quickly, "I will see to it that you are both safe. You have my word."

"What do half Human, half Chiss people usually look like?"

"I don't know. To be honest, I didn't know this even _could_ happen." He rubbed his face. "This brings up a whole set of new issues… How long is a typical human pregnancy?"

"Nine months, why?"

He hummed, frowning.

"Is something wrong?" She was frightened by his reaction.

"With Chiss it is closer to seven months. This may be problematic." He started pacing again.

"Thrawn…"

"Have you seen a doctor yet?"

"Yes."

"What did they say?"

"That I was pregnant." She said flatly. She was getting sick of his barrage of questions.

He frowned at her sarcasm. "I need to take you to a good doctor."

"My doctor is perfectly…"

"No." He was already stepping around her, going to the room. "Your doctor knows nothing of Chiss. I know someone who can help us. I trust him."

She could hear him digging through his travel bag. She went into the room just as he pulled his communicator device from his bag. She snatched it from his hand.

"Nev. There is no time for this; you need to see a doctor soon. You may be giving birth in a few months and…"

She tossed it back in the bag. "Thrawn… can you please _stop_ for a moment? I just want to speak with you."

He looked down at her blankly.

"I'm not trying to delay anything important, but I have been completely alone in this for three months now and I would really, _really_ like to ask you a few questions before you find me a doctor."

He looked at her for a moment. "Yes. Yes, of course."

"Thank you." She took off her coat. She hadn't even had time to remove it from her shoulders since she walked through the door. "I guess I would like to begin with my first question. How do you feel about children?"

He blinked. "I haven't thought of them much, to be honest. It never occurred to me as something that would happen… Or in our case, even that could happen."

She tossed her jacket onto the middle of the bed and seated herself on the corner. "I have always felt the same way, I suppose. I guess that leads to my second question: How do you feel about _us_ having a child?"

"Admittedly, I am somewhat relieved."

She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"If this were to mistakenly happen with anyone, I'm quite relieved is with you."

"What do you mean?"

He tilted his head, "You will make a good mother."

"You think I'm motherly?"

"No, that is not the right way to say it. You are strong. And quite self-reliant." He nodded, like he was entirely sure those were the two essential ingredients. "You will be a good mother."

She was flattered – she wasn't nearly as confident in herself in regard to the matter. "That leads to my third question. Will it have a father?"

He looked at her.

"Listen, as you said I am very self-reliant. If you do not have the time or the interest in being a part of its life, I can manage very well on my own."

He was quiet for some time. "In these matters, I think it would be wrong of me to not defer to you. I would like to know the child, if you find that suitable. However, I have duties as well. The nature of my visits to you…" He paused, suddenly sounding terribly sad, "they cannot change. Given your consent, I am - of course - interested in supporting you and the child in my absence."

She looked at him closely for a moment. "Can you quit calling it that?"

"What?"

" _The child_ … it's not the child, it's _our_ child."

Another silence. "Is that your approval?"

"Well, I would like _our_ child to know its father, of course. Even if you can't be here much. I think it would be a good thing."

He leaned forward and took her chin in his hand, kissing her.

It was the first time he'd ever done that.

"Thank you."

She returned the kiss, "Thrawn, I'm sorry, but I'm terribly frightened, I don't know what to expect of this."

"I will take care of this. Everything will be fine."

It was a complete lie, and she knew it, but it was comforting that he said it so confidently.

His fingertips pressed against the side of her waist. "Can I…"

She she nodded.

She felt his breath catch as his hand graced over her slightly bulging stomach. 

* * *

Just two days later, Thrawn disappeared from her studio, telling her the doctor he had for her was finally there. He went to greet him and bring him back to her studio.

She wasn't even sure how Thrawn himself managed to get through Nivo's tight borders every time he came to visit, much less how he managed to get his friend through. When they returned, she was surprised to find that his friend, an alien care specialist, was in fact a human. He appeared to be in his 40's with neatly groomed graying hair and a sort of regal, long nose.

He looked at her, blinking. Or more accurately, he didn't really look at _her_ – she wore a flowing tunic that didn't hide her stomach well. He looked at her stomach.

"Enos, this is Nev Sebai. Nev, Enos Worth, the specialist I've told you about."

Enos held a hand out to her, "It's good to meet you. Thrawn tells me you're…"

"You're not a very good doctor if you can't tell." She folded her arms.

He looked at her stomach again. "Yes, well… If you needed official confirmation, yes, I do think she is in fact pregnant, Thrawn." He looked back to his friend. "Congratulations."

She finally shook his hand. "It's good to meet you. I've already been looked at; I'm not sure what Thrawn expects of your visit here."

He nodded, inhaling deeply. "Let's all sit down."

She and Enos took to stools from the counter area. Thrawn didn't sit; he remained standing beside her. Enos must have been familiar with his quirks – he didn't even react to Thrawn's bazaar behavior.

"So, Thrawn reached out to me a few days ago and asked me to come to your planet here. He did not, for security reasons, state the purpose of my trip during that conversation. If I can be blunt with you, I only found out the nature of this issue moments ago when he met me at my ship. As Thrawn has likely mentioned to you, I specialize in non-human care, and by in part I have dealt with my fair share of hybrid pregnancies. I can assure you that my knowledge of both human and Chiss care in these situations is thorough, however, if I can be honest, I've never actually seen or heard of a human/Chiss hybrid."

She folded her arms again. "Isn't your job to make me feel better?"

"My job is to make sure that you are aware of the realities of what you're facing, and to ensure that you and the child are in good health. Making you feel better is unfortunately not high on my priority list, though I will do my best." He paused. "Do understand, I'm not trying to upset you, I'm trying to convey the reality of your situation clearly."

She could see why Thrawn referred to this man as his friend. "So how do you intend on helping us?"

"With your permission, of course, I would like to do an exam, and run a few tests. I want to confirm your overall wellbeing, and get an assessment of the child's development." He paused again, splaying his fingers out on the countertop, "I don't want to speak too soon, but I think I will be safe to give you both some reassurance off the bat here. First, as I'm sure you know, humans and Chiss are relatively similar from a biological standpoint. There are a few notable differences, but purely from a physical standpoint we are talking about two mammalian species with very similar physiques. We have that working in our favor. We don't need to worry about anything like gills or horns."

"What?"

"Yes…" He paused, "Oh, you don't get off this planet much, do you?"

She tilted her head, hoping the look she gave him burned his skin.

"Okay, well, as I said that does work in our favor. There are a few differences we will need to address, the first being gestation periods. Chiss females generally carry around seven months while humans carry closer to nine. Since the mother, in this case," he motioned to Nev, like they may have needed clarification on that point, "is human, we should expect your body to try to carry the child for a full nine-month period. However, Chiss tend to mature faster so there is a chance that your body may try to hang onto the child for an extra few months when it is ready to be birthed. This is something I will be able to assess with regular exams. I think it's safe to say I should be here for exams every two weeks moving forward."

"And if it is the case that the child is ready to be born but my body isn't ready to have it?"

"We're lucky enough that is a simple issue to resolve. I can induce birth at that point. Another point that might be worth bringing up is that Chiss tend to have very fast metabolisms – don't be surprised if you find yourself very hungry in the coming months, if you haven't already noticed the effect. Remember, you're eating for two and that one," he pointed to her stomach, "Is going to want a lot."

Next to her, Thrawn nodded, "I take it, then, that you will agree to return here for regular exams?"

Enos nodded. "Well, yes. Only because it's you, Thrawn."

"Do either of you intend on giving me any say in the matter?"

They both looked at her like they'd forgotten she was in the room.

She nodded to Enos, "You will return if I would like you. Understood?"

He glanced to Thrawn like he was about to start laughing. She already didn't want him returning. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a woman involved with Thrawn."

"I don't even know what that's supposed to mean." She snapped at him. 

* * *

Thrawn left the two of them for the exam, which she hated even more.

Enos was quiet for awhile, shuffling through his bag of supplies.

"What's he like?"

"Thrawn? Haven't you known him for some time?"

" I mean… I've known the man for over a decade now. He's just very professional. Even around me, despite having been friends with him for all that time."

She blinked. "Well… I can't imagine he's that much different. He's always been very well mannered, reserved, well spoken…"

"How long has he been coming here?"

"A few years."

Enos whistled. " _Years_? How has he managed to hide you from all us for _years_?"

From his reaction, she assumed this must be a great feat. She shrugged, "He's careful."

"To say the least…" He started scanning her with little beeping devices. "I've never seen him like this."

"Like what?"

"Worried. Thrawn is always… _Always_ in control of any situation he's in. I think this is the first time he's ever been caught completely off guard in a situation he probably knows literally nothing about but cares for a great deal." He glanced to the door and lowered his voice, "Do you know what he said to me when I got off my ship?"

"Hm?"

"When he first reached out to me he just said that he had an urgent matter he needed assistance with, and that it was to be kept entirely private. He was very explicit in stressing how urgent it was. I thought he was injured or something. I get off the ship here and he looks like… honestly it's the only time I've ever seen him look afraid. He stuttered. Thrawn _actually_ stuttered for a moment when he was explaining to me that he'd gotten some human woman pregnant. And the whole way here, he just kept going on and on, like his mind wouldn't stop working. About genetic variants between humans and Chiss and how that might affect the child and could anything like that possibly have an adverse affect on you?" He laughed. "You should be very flattered. He cares deeply for you. And for your child."

She was starting to warm up to him a little. He clearly meant well, and while he was a bit chatty she could see why Thrawn trusted him with something this important.

"You know, I thought you would be like him." She said.

"What? Military?"

"No, that's not what I meant…"

"Oh… You thought I would be a Chiss?"

"Yes, or at least… not human."

He laughed a little. "No, no I'm very human. As far as Chiss go, they're so incredibly rare to run across it shouldn't surprise you that I'm not one. I specialize in non-human care, but Thrawn is the first Chiss I ever met. His species was actually entirely unknown to us when we first met. The second one I met about three years ago, but other than that… you just don't see them unless you get close to their area of space."

"How did you meet him?"

"The Imperial Navy hired me as a consultant shortly after the Clone Wars, to help them assess their non-human related needs. I was working for them off and on when I got news of a Chiss officer who had just joined the ranks. They wanted me to take care of his physical exam before he was processed. We've been friends sense."

"How often have you had to deal with this sort of situation?"

"You mean a cross-species birth?"

"Pregnancies in general."

"Ah, well, I've performed about 15 or 16 deliveries over the years. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I can assure you I'm well acquainted enough with the situation to understand what I need to do. And, if I can be frank, I don't think you have too much to worry about."

"Oh?" This was hugely reassuring to her.

"Listen, the last hybrid delivery I did was a Twi'lek woman having the child of a Togruta, which… you don't know what those are, do you?"

"I'm afraid not."

He pulled a datapad out of his bag and clicked around, pulling up an image of a being that looked essentially like a human with an ornate patterned headdress and facial markings. "So that's a Togruta. The thing on its head - the pointy parts are horns, and then the pieces that hang down are called lekku. They're empty; the species uses them for echolocation. Essentially, they're ears."

"Oh…" She studied the image closely, "It's beautiful. They look very… proud. I love the markings."

He nodded and took the datapad back, flipping to another image of a purple-skinned female alien. She was stunningly beautiful, and had two long tail-like things coming from her head instead of hair.

"That is what a Twi'lek looks like. So, you can imagine, I was a little concerned about a non-horned species giving birth to a child that scans showed was going to have horns at the time of birth."

"Oh. Oh my. What did you do?"

"She wasn't able to have a natural birth. The child had to be removed surgically. But we had an even bigger problem than that to address. Like I mentioned, the Togruta has hollowed out lekku for aural purposes. The Twi'lek also has lekku, but they're not hollow, they contain the individual's brain. So now I had to be very seriously concerned: Was the child going to be born without a brain? If it had a brain, would it be deaf?" He sighed, shaking his head, "It could have gone horribly wrong, but given the situation I think it turned out the best it could. The child was born with two lekku out the back, like a Twi'lek would have, which contained its brain, and then the two front lekku and horns were hollow. I imagine she will possibly have some hearing issues as she ages, however given the situation it could have been much, much worse."

"I suppose that does make me feel better."

"As it should." He smiled at her. "This may be complicated due to _who_ the father is, but I'm fairly confident you don't have to worry about _what_ he is." 

* * *

Enos' tests came back clear of anything that might cause concern, which eased both their minds a little. He assured her that he would be back in two weeks and would meet her at her studio. He gave her his contact information in the event that anything should come up.

Thrawn stayed for about a week, and seemed very sad to have to leave. She assured him that she would be fine; she'd taken care of herself just fine the past three months and didn't need him to watch over her.

He promised her he would be in contact with her in less than a month. He was hesitant, explaining to her that he needed a little time to devise a secure form of communication. She would be on her own until he was able to return.

She asked when he would be back. He looked terribly sad.

"I'm sorry… this wasn't something I anticipated. I should be able to return in six to eight weeks." He kissed her cheekbone, "I will do everything I can to return sooner."

She shook her head. "Thrawn, I can take care of myself."

"You're not just taking care of yourself."

"You know what I mean. I can take care of both of us. You do what you need to do, and come see us when you're able to. I understand. If I didn't like the nature of this, I would not be involved with you. I would have disappeared and not told you about the child."

He didn't seem reassured. 

* * *

She was leaving the museum late one evening when she saw a transport vehicle waiting at the bottom of the steps. An attendant stood outside, well dressed with sharp posture. It was the sort of transport one would get for an event – something luxurious.

The man spoke to her, "Are you Miss Sebai?"

"I am?"

He bowed his head to her, motioning to the car, "It's lovely to meet you ma'am, my name is Tag. I'm here at the request of a man by the name of Blu."

She was about to tell him she didn't know anyone by that name when she realized, quite stupidly, that it must have been Thrawn. Blue.

"Thank you… I'm afraid this is something of a surprise. Where are you taking me?"

"He was very clear that I not tell you where I'm taking you. It isn't far though."

She hesitated, and then nodded. He helped her into the back seat.

Tag was polite, chatting with her as they drove through the city. He took her to the edge of the city, then past the reaches of the city. She watched the lights disappear behind them.

"You really can't tell me where we're going?"

"No, but we are almost there."

Five minutes later, he pulled to a stop in front of a large cabin. It was beautiful, built in a tall, angular fashion, and faced out over a frozen lake. Mountains sat on the other side of the lake, surrounded by a white-blanketed forest. The lights were on inside.

He opened the door for her and helped her out, then handed her a key. "I was told to give you instructions to go inside."

Cautiously, she did. It was all very strange.

The home was even more beautiful inside. The side overlooking the lake and mountain was almost solid window, with a tall, vaulted ceiling that echoed shape of the mountain.

It was quiet, empty.

An envelope with her name was on the table. She opened it.

 _For you. – T_

* * *

She met Thrawn at the home when he was able to return. Evidently he'd kept a key for himself; he was already inside when she arrived.

He ran his thumb over her cheekbone and kissed her forehead, "Is it acceptable to you?"

"The home? Thrawn… I would have to be very particular to not find this acceptable. It's beautiful."

"I don't expect you to live here, unless you want to, but given the nature of my work and the necessity to be as private as possible… I thought it might be a good location for us to meet moving forward."

"You bought this home for us to meet at?"

"It is _your_ home, for you to use as you please. I strongly suggest that we use it to meet moving forward." He paused, "The less the people of that city see me, particularly around you, the safer you both are."

"How did you even manage to acquire this property? Nivo has a strict policy against allowing outsiders to purchase land."

"As I said, this is _your_ home."

So he'd used her identity to purchase the home for her. Not all that legal, but creative.

"Thrawn, this home is lovely, don't misunderstand me, but you didn't need to purchase this for me. I have a sizable inheritance; money is not an issue for me."

He ignored the comment. "How are you feeling?"

"Heavy."

"Enos tells me everything is going well for both you and the child?"

She nodded, "Yes, as far as I can tell, everything is fantastic. Enos has been a great help."

"He says we should expect the delivery in three or four months?"

She laughed a little. Thrawn was trying to handle this like an official matter. "Yes, at least, it feels like it will. I'm more than half way there. I think I'm ready."

"Really?" The way he said it had this vague, nearly undetectable undertone – he wasn't ready.

"Well yes. Keep in mind that I've been packing this thing around for months now."

"True. True." He was quiet for a moment, thinking. "I wanted to give you something."

"This home isn't enough?"

He pulled a small device from his pocket - a comlink with an odd design on the back, like three spears - and handed it to her. "I will be here when it is expected, but in the event that something should happen… in the event that it arrives early… please use this to message me. Any communication is a risk, but this is the best I can do to make it nearly untraceable. Don't use your name or mine, but just… let me know if you need me here. Ever. Please." 

* * *

She only used the device one time, to send one sentence: _I have a surprise for you._


	4. Chapter 4

She heard his voice, hushed and hurried, speaking with Enos outside the room. She couldn't quite make out the words, but his tone indicated he was worried, nervous.

And then Eno's loud response: "Yeah, go right in. They might be asleep, but they're both fine."

Enos. She did have a deep respect for the man; he'd been a great help to both of them during the pregnancy, especially during the final stage. He'd even stayed with her in the cabin for the past few days while Thrawn was on his way.

But despite his kindness toward both she and Thrawn, he was completely tactless at times.

She'd been napping, as she had spent much of the past few days doing when she wasn't holding the little one, who was fast asleep in the bassinet next to her bed. She pushed herself upright just in time for Thrawn to (very quietly, cautiously) creep through the door.

He looked at her for a moment, blinking. Like he wasn't sure what came next.

She motioned to him, smiling, "Come here."

He stepped toward her, "How are you fe…" He froze when he saw the little one.

She tried not to laugh – catching him off guard was near impossible. It was comical to finally see him out of his league.

She gathered their child from the bassinet, "Come here."

He hesitated, and then moved next to her, standing next to the bed, looking down at them both.

She pushed the blanket back to show the little one's soft pink face, "You have a daughter. Congratulations." She moved to the side, "Sit with us." He needed commands – it was fairly obvious his brain was not working properly.

Cautiously, he moved onto the bed. "Enos says she is healthy?"

"Yes, completely. No complications or anything. She's just been sleeping a lot."

"And you?"

"Sleeping a lot as well. I'm doing well though." She nearly shoved the bundle into his arms, "Hold her."

He took his daughter, looking entirely unsure of what he was doing, and then held her up, his fingers under her arms and around her little torso, and looked at her.

She squirmed a little and yawned, her grey eyes blinking open blearily. He squinted at her, holding her so close his nose was nearly touching hers. "She has the marks."

"Pardon?"

"Under her eyes. She has them. That is good."

"Oh, I noticed that as well. They're kind of beautiful next to her grey eyes."

He was quiet for a moment. "They are."

Nev plucked her away from him, returning her to a bundle. "I sort of hoped she'd be blue. I'm glad she at least got the markings from you."

"What have you named her?"

"She doesn't have one yet. I thought you might want to name her. To give her a Chiss name."

He was quiet for a moment. "I don't know that she will have Chiss vocal capabilities. The last thing I want is for her to not be able to pronounce her own name."

"I don't know if it's possible to mispronounce your own name." She smiled at him. "I am not going to name her. I will see her and care for her every day. She deserves a name from her father." 

* * *

She woke to Thrawn sitting in a chair next to the bassinet, his fingertips pressed together and resting against his lips at a point. His eyes were focused on the little one. She was awake, making noise and reaching up out of her basket.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Her name. I think I have it."

"Oh?" It had been nearly a week; he'd taken the duty of naming her quite seriously.

"It's simple. A word from my people, but it fits the naming conventions of yours as well. And it suits her. Very well, I think. Oni." He nodded confidently, still looking at the little one. "Her name is Oni."

She moved to his side, "It's pretty, I like it. It does suit her well. What does it mean?"

He plucked Oni from her bed, holding her under the arms and looking at her closely again. He still treated her like she was some foreign object – he was nervous around her.

"It means _everything_." 

* * *

The way her eyes lit up when she saw her father was always the best part about his visits. He was remarkably consistent, making his way to them every 8-10 weeks and usually staying anywhere from 2 days to a full week. He was there every opportunity he had; that much she could tell.

She could also tell that while Oni loved her father, it dwarfed in comparison to how much Thrawn adored Oni. Before she'd even really learned to pronounce words in Basic, Nev caught him speaking to her in his native language. When she started speaking a little, he brought her volumes of recordings and little games in his language. She was remarkably quick, and learned to speak it right alongside Basic. When he visited, he spoke to her almost exclusively in the language.

He always came with gifts, usually books and language recordings and toys. When she was old enough to realize what a gift was, she started giving them to him – paintings and drawings, little paper figurines Nev taught her to make, rocks she found outside.

He looked like he was in pain when he explained to Nev – he couldn't take any of it with him.

Nev blinked at him. _"What?"_

"Nev… I cannot risk anyone knowing. These were clearly made by a child. If they were found in my possession it would arouse too much suspicion."

"But it is a gift… from your own daughter of all people. How could you turn such a thing down? Do you not have anywhere you can hide them?" Maybe it was a cultural thing, but on Nivo it was considered terribly, terribly rude to turn down a gift.

"Nev… please listen. The Empire is collapsing as we speak."

She paused, remembering he'd mentioned prior involvement with the Empire. "Are you safe? Are we safe?"

"Yes, I give you my word that both of you are safe. However I cannot risk information like her existence leaking at this point. I am hopeful. The Empire will no longer exist very soon. With that threat eliminated, I think we can be less secretive about our situation. My best guess is it will crumble within two years, but we must be careful. They are most vicious while in their death throws." He looked at the paper figurine between his fingers, "Keep these for me, please? Someday I will be able to take them. Soon, hopefully." 

* * *

She was four years old when he appeared at the cabin for a visit with an odd smile on his face. "Where is she?"

Nev looked at him suspiciously, "What did you bring for her this time?"

"A gift."

She didn't like this already. He was up to something. "She's in her room, napping."

He walked off brusquely. She followed.

Oni sprung out of bed when he came in, like she had some sort of radar for her father. She grinned at him and greeted him, in his language.

He sat on her bed and she crawled over to him, chattering at him in their language, fussing with some sort of imperceptable dust or fuzz or something like that on his shoulder. The affectionate neatening and grooming habit was one of her favorite things. She'd noticed Thrawn's tendency to constantly preen himself when they first met. It carried over to Oni, who picked up on it fairly quickly. It was easy to tell if she liked someone - she'd start cleaning them.

He returned the gesture, brushing back her mess of black hair. He opened up the satchel at his side to pull out… She wasn't sure what it was. It was yellow and somewhat furry and a little scale-y... In general, it was completely gross.

Oni's face lit up.

"Um… Thrawn…"

"She needs a pet." He said calmly.

"No. No no no, not that thing. What is it?" It was already crawling on her daughter.

"It's a ysalamir," he said, like it was obvious.

"A… what? No. Absolutely not. What if it carries diseases? It shouldn't be crawling on her like that…"

"They don't carry anything. I've kept several of them for years, long before I even knew you."

"Ugh…"

Oni giggled, petting it.

"See? She likes it. It will be good for her to have a pet."

"Yes but… does it need to be _that_ thing?"

"They're loyal, and easy to train. They are smart little creatures. You will grow used to it."

She highly doubted that. 

* * *

The next morning she woke early to make a welcome home breakfast for him. Everyone was still asleep when she finished. She returned to their bedroom to wake him.

The scene when she walked into their bedroom made her pause. Thrawn was still asleep, buried under the white blankets of their bed. Oni must have woken up and sneaked into their room - she wedged herself against her father and fell asleep, tucked into his arms.

In her early 20's, a fellow artist had gifted her a holocam that she never really used. She realized, feeling somewhat dramatic, that the holocam must have come into her life all those years ago just to capture this one, perfect moment. She fetched the device and returned to the room to capture what seemed to her the most pure thing she'd ever seen. It was so beautiful, such a perfect moment...

It was only after she captured the image that she noticed the ysalamir laying on the other side of Thrawn. 

* * *

It only took a few days for Oni to get the bright idea to paint the little creature. It ran away from her, leaving a rainbow trail of paint all over their home.

She made Thrawn clean it. 

* * *

She was in the kitchen the following day when she overheard Oni chattering at something in the main room. Her words never made sense, and they didn't quite sound like Thrawn's language. She imagined it was Oni's own language, something she'd invented to talk to herself in. The only thing she could recognize was the tone – she was frustrated.

Nev poked her head out of the kitchen to see what the matter was.

The yellow creature had its claws dug into the side of her sofa. Oni had her little hands wrapped around its middle, trying to tear it off. The creature made a disgusting noise of protest, blinking it's four eyes at different times. If Oni kept trying to rip it off, they would destroy the furniture.

She started for them, when Thrawn stepped into the room. He knelt next to her, pulling her hands from the creature. "Oni. What are you trying to do?"

"She's stuck." Oni said simply.

"She wants to be there."

"I want her off."

"Did you ask her?"

Nev frowned. So did Oni. _Ask_ the stupid little thing?

Thrawn was silent for a moment. "You think she will not understand because she's different than you." He motioned to the creature. "But she is smart. Ask her."

Oni looked at him skeptically.

"Ask." Thrawn repeated himself.

She looked at the ugly thing and chattered something in Thrawn's language. Miraculously, the little creature took its claws out of the sofa and crawled over to Oni.

As much as she hated the monster, there was something significant about that moment. Thrawn stood from their daughter and walked to Nev. She watched Oni pet the thing. "Maybe a pet was a good idea."

"She will learn from it."

He was a good father. Nev bit the corners of her smile. "I have a gift for you."

"Oh?"

She started off for the back room; he followed after her. "I know you can't really take gifts with you… but they know you are an art collector, correct? It's been some time since I gifted you a painting."

She glanced back to him – he was smiling, just a little. "Yes, that should not arouse any suspicion."

Nev pulled the piece out of the room, uncovering it for him to see. It was a labor of love – she'd been careful to abstract it just enough that unless you knew, you'd never be able to tell what it was. Situated against a blue-green background, a golden rectangular figure stood tall, with a fiery red ball hurling at it.

True to form, Thrawn looked at it quietly, taking everything in. The texture, the lines, the colors…

"It seems appropriate that you would make Oni a ball of fire. But you did not make me blue?"

She smiled at him. "Ah. You may be blue, but you are golden to me." 

* * *

The night before he left they sat in the main room, in front of the giant window, chatting and watching the stars over the frozen lake.

"When will you be back?"

"As soon as I can. Eight weeks or so."

"No more pets next time. Please."

"One is enough." He nodded with a little smirk.

She looked at him for a moment, considering how to proceed.

"You always give your daughter gifts. Why don't I ever get one?"

He looked back at her for a moment, like he was trying to tell if she was joking. "What would you like? I will bring you anything you would like."

"Mm…" she stood and made her way to him, crawling onto the chair with him. "Well, what I really want you can't actually bring to me. But you can give it to me."

His eyebrow quirked a little. "Oh?"

She kissed him and knelt across his thighs with one leg, pinning him to the chair with her other knee against his neck. He made a light humming noise.

It was a good thing Oni was already in bed.

She leaned forward and put her lips next to his ear and whispered to him: "I want another one."

He was quiet for a moment.

"Nev… are you certain?"

"Don't be coy, Thrawn. I'm not stupid." She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "You bought us a home with three bedrooms for a reason."


End file.
